"Stop Kiss" by Theater Mu at Gremlin Theatre

Yesterday was a tough day here in Minnesota. It began with horrific politically motivated attacks on our state legislators that resulted in two deaths and two people severely injured. It then transitioned into inspiring "No Kings" protests in our state capital and around the country. I ended the day at the theater, seeing a queer Asian story about love in the face of hate and violence, and found great solace there. Sadly, hate and violence are a part of our world that never seems to go away, but the hope is that we can make the voices of love, connection, and community loud enough to drown out the hate. Stop Kiss, written almost 30 years ago by Asian American playwright and screenwriter/producer Diana Son, is about two women, in this production Asian American women, who fall in love and are confronted with violence because of it. It's a beautifully written play in two timelines, as funny and sweet as it is tragic and heart-breaking, and Theater Mu's nearly flawless production is a must-see. Even now. Especially now.

"Secret Warriors" at History Theatre

Did you know that Japanese Americans served in the U.S. Army as translators, interpreters, and interrogators during WWII, at the same time that their families were imprisoned in internment camps back home? I didn't either, but I do now thanks to History Theatre's world premiere new play Secret Warriors. As always with History Theatre's original, often commissioned, plays and musicals, Secret Warriors shines a light on a little known aspect of history, usually with a Minnesota connection, and draws a straight line from the past to the present. Today, the very law that was used to intern Japanese Americans (the Alien Enemies Act of 1798) is being used to justify mass deportations, and we're seeing a rise of division and hate crimes. Director Lily Tung Crystal sums up this parallel in the program and the questions that this excellent new play raises: "What lessons from the past must we carry forward to ensure history does not repeat itself? How do we reconcile patriotism with the injustices committed by our own government? And what does it truly mean to be American?" Remembering our history is so important, and what better way to do that than through an engaging and entertaining play? You can learn about and pay homage to these Secret Warriors at the History Theatre in downtown St. Paul through April 19 (click here for info and tickets).

"Romeo & Juliet" by Collide Theatrical at Luminary Arts Center

My second Romeo and Juliet of Valentine's Day Weekend (and my 17th lifetime), was a steampunk dance version. And there's no one I would trust to do a steampunk dance version of this classic tragic love story other than Collide Theatrical. They first interpreted R&J in 2014, with two actors reciting some of the dialogue interspersed with dance scenes, which didn't always work. At the time I wrote, "I would love to see them go all the way with the concept and tell the story strictly through dance with little to no dialogue." And that's what they've done here, to great effect. (They also did a version of this show in February 2020 but I missed it, I guess I was too busy in those blissful pre-pan days.) After a bit of an introduction, we're off on the dance train, with the main plot points clearly told through movement and dance (it probably helps that the story is so familiar). Collide's Romeo & Juliet plays for one more weekend at the gorgeous Luminary Arts Center. And if you're on the fence about whether or not to see this oft told story again, here are ten reasons you should.

"Bonnie and Clyde" by Collide Theatrical Dance Company at Luminary Arts Center

Collide Theatrical Dance Company begins their 11th season with a new original jazz dance musical about the notorious 1930s outlaw couple Bonnie and Clyde. Collide uses dance to tell a narrative story in a theatrical way, which gives me an excuse to watch dance (which I usually don't have time to do). As always, the dancing in this show is fantastic (it's a great week for '30s-themed dance shows, see also Some Like It Hot). And while this version of the story might be a little too sympathetic towards these criminals and killers (I don't think their guns went off "accidentally" over a dozen times), it has some interesting things to say about celebrity culture and our glamorization of violence. But mostly, it's just really great dancing. Bonnie and Clyde plays Thursdays through Sundays (plus one Wednesday matinee) until November 3 at the Luminary Arts Center.

"Holmes/Poirot" at Park Square Theatre

A year and a half after cancelling the remaining shows in their 2022-2023 season, Park Square Theatre is back! After experiencing financial difficulties, they took a season off to reassess and regroup, and are coming back with a four-show season on their main stage in the Historic Hamm Building in downtown St. Paul. First up is one of those cancelled shows - a world premiere new mystery combining two of literature's favorite detectives. Holmes/Poirot was inspired by a dream that Steve Hendrickson (who has played Holmes multiple times) had, and told to prolific local playwright Jeffrey Hatcher. The result is not one but two thrilling and well-plotted mysteries, brought to life by a fantastic nine-person cast. Park Square has a long history of presenting summer mysteries, and while it is now finally, thankfully, fall, Holmes/Poirot fits well in that popular tradition. Playing Thursdays through Sundays until November 3.

"Only Ugly Guys" at Open Eye Theatre

After adapting/directing/producing a play last fall that was "unlike anything I've ever seen before" (an adaptation of the Norwegian novel Naive. Super, with a different actor performing the solo play each night), Kurt Engh returns with an original play that once again inventively uses sound, video, and technology to tell a story. In this case, it's the story of four young gay men in a modern rom com that's very funny and engaging, and well performed by this cast of new-to-me young actors. Only Ugly Guys is presented as part of Open Eye Theatre's Guest Artists Series, which has already brought us Madeleine Rowe's charmingly odd solo piece Honey, I'm Home. It's great to see this established theater host the next generation of theater makers on their sweet little stage, and the group of artists behind Only Ugly Guys makes the future of #TCTheater look bright. The short run concludes on June 30.

"Hells Canyon" by Theater Mu at Jungle Theater

The world premiere new play Hells Canyon is a revenge fantasy, in which the revenge comes almost 140 years after the crime - the murder of 34 Chinese goldminers in Oregon. The spirits of the murder victims are restless, and use a group of friends having a fun getaway at a cabin to enact their revenge. It's modern dramedy-horror with social commentary, in the vein of Get Out. Horror isn't really my thing, but this play is thrilling. It'll make you laugh, and think, and feel, and maybe jump out of your seat a little. Theater Mu's production is brilliantly cast with an incredible design that pulls off some real scares, and it's a must-see, especially if you're a fan of the horror genre (and even if you're not). It plays at the Jungle Theater* Wednesdays through Sundays until March 17. 

"Million Dollar Quartet" at Old Log Theater

This summer, Old Log Theatre is bringing back their 2016 hit Million Dollar Quartet.* Based on the historic night when Carl Perkins, "the king of rockabilly;" Jerry Lee Lewis, "rock and roll's first great wild man;" Johnny Cash, "one of the best-selling musicians of all time;" and Elvis Presley, simply "the king," had a jam session at Sun Records in Memphis, the show is a surefire crowd pleaser. The music that came out of Sun Records in that era, and these four artists in particular, defined a generation. A generation that's sure to head out to Excelsior to see this show, but these iconic musicians and songs appeal to younger generations too, and this fantastic cast brings this magical night to life with great energy. The show plays through next February, but summer is a great time to visit the lovely lake town of Excelsior with its many shops, restaurants, and beautiful views (click here for info and tickets).

"The Humans" at Park Square Theatre

To open their exciting new season, Park Square Theatre is presenting the regional premiere of the 2016 Tony-winning best play The Humans by Stephen Karem (whose Sons of the Prophet they produced a few years ago). This play about a typical family Thanksgiving dinner is devastating in its specificity, in its relatability, in its raw truth, and in the way it lays bare what it is to be human and part of a family. And therein lies its beauty. I saw the Broadway tour, as well as the recent movie adaptation, so I knew we were in for a treat. The stunning design and excellent cast lived up to my expectations; the show cuts deep and is hard to shake upon leaving the theater. If you're a human, you will be able to relate to The Humans - the good, the bad, and the ugly of it. See it in the historic Hamm building in downtown St. Paul through October 9 (#bringtissues).

"Holmes and Watson" at Park Square Theatre

For the first time since 2019, Park Square Theatre's summer mystery tradition continues! (Not counting 2020's utterly delightful virtual zoom mystery play Puzzle Riddle Plot.) I'm not sure I can tell you much about Holmes and Watson without giving it away; it's one of the most surprisingly twisty tales I've seen on stage. But it's enough to know that it's well plotted, well written, deliciously acted, stunningly designed, and features one of the most beloved characters in literature, TV, and film - the epitome of the clever detective, Sherlock Holmes. Or rather, three of them. The rest you'll have to discover for yourself on Park Square's main stage in the Historic Hamm building in downtown St. Paul through August 21.

"A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" at Old Log Theatre

Exciting things are happening in Excelsior. Old Log Theatre (rumored to be the oldest continually operating theater west of the Mississippi) is presenting the regional premiere of the 2014 Tony winning* best musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. I saw it last night, about one month into its four-month run, and it's an absolute delight. It's a charming and hilarious big broad English comedy (written by Americans Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak), full of fast clever lyrics, lovely melodies and harmonies, and ridiculously plotted murders, executed brilliantly by the team at Old Log. The only place you can see this recent Tony winner is in the charming lakeside town of Excelsior, that only gets more charming with snow and holiday decorations. This is not a holiday show, but would make for a fun holiday (or post-holiday) outing for friends, family, or solo.

"Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical" at Old Log Theatre

I love Rosemary Clooney. But I really don't know much about her outside of White Christmas, my favorite Christmas movie. I've seen it dozens of times, each time newly obsessed with Rosemary's performance, voice, hair, costumes. Or rather, I didn't know much about her, but I do now, thanks to Old Log Theatre's regional premiere of Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical. Bio-musicals are all the rage right now (see also Beautiful, On Your Feet, and The Cher Show), and IMO there's not a better choice for a bio-musical than the velvet voiced crooner Rosemary Clooney (except maybe for Karen Carpenter - will someone please wright a bio-musical about her?!). Bio-musicals can sometimes seem forced or showy, but Tenderly is not. It's an intimate look at the life of the woman behind the voice we know and love. With just a three-person cast and three-person band, we really get to know Rosie (as her friends called her, and after this show you will feel like her friend) at one of the lowest times of her life - her 1968 hospitalization for addiction and mental illness. But we also get to experience the high points of her career, and how she persevered through the hard times and reinvented herself. Tenderly plays through June 8 at the charming Old Log Theatre in even more charming Excelsior, so perhaps as spring comes (and it will), a trip Out West to visit this lovely and historic lake town and the oldest theater west of the Mississippi (or so I hear) would ge a good way to celebrate.

"Lend Me a Tenor" at Old Log Theatre

Now playing at the oldest continuously operating theater west of the Mississippi: the madcap comedy Lend Me a Tenor. Although written in 1989 by playwright Ken Ludwig (see also the madcap Sherlock Holmes comedy Baskerville), the play is set in 1934 and harkens back to the days of classic film comedies like It Happened One Night. Old Log Theatre has taken that cue beautifully, and created a piece of theater that feels like one of those old movie comedies come to life, except in three dimensions and full color! With a sparkling eight-person cast, sharp design, and impeccable timing on this complicated farce, Lend Me a Tenor makes for a fun night at the theater. Combine it with an afternoon or evening spent shopping and/or eating in the almost too charming lake town of Excelsior (which, when I visited, featured a horse drawn buggy and softly falling snow on the beautifully lit main street), and you have a wonderful day in the western suburbs of Minneapolis. Lend Me a Tenor continues through February 16, the snow will probably continue much longer.

"Ghost the Musical" at Old Log Theatre

Old Log Theatre's contribution to the summer blockbuster musical is Ghost the Musical, based on the popular 1990 movie. It premiered on Broadway in 2012 and ran for only a few months, and when I saw the tour the following year I was not impressed. At the time I wrote, "At its core, Ghost is a small intimate love story, but Ghost the Musical is a big splashy techno-heavy 'show,' in which the beauty of that story gets lost. The story would be better served with less tricks, a smaller cast, fewer showy songs, and a greater focus on what we really care about - the relationship between Molly and Sam." I'm thrilled to report that Old Log has done just that. The score, which is quite good, the story, and the relationships between the characters are more the focus of the show, with lower tech effects that serve the story rather than drawing attention away from it. If you're looking for a satisfying summer musical experience, head out to Old Log Theatre, one of the oldest theaters in Minnesota, in lovely Excelsior on Lake Minnetonka.

"The Velocity of Autumn" at Old Log Theatre

Last spring, I was lucky enough to see Eric Coble's smart, funny, poignant, relevant new play about aging and family, The Velocity of Autumn, during it's short Broadway run. Despite earning Estelle Parsons a Tony nomination, the play didn't last long on Broadway, perhaps because the small, intimate story is better suited to Off Broadway or regional theater than the tourist-bait that Broadway has become. The Old Log Theatre was smart enough to snap up this gem and be the first to bring it to Minnesota to open their 2015-2016 season. The Old Log has really stepped up their game in the last few years, but it's still difficult for me to make the 70-mile round trip from my home in the Northeast suburbs to lovely lakeside Excelsior. But for this play, I was determined to go to my first Old Log opening night. And boy, was my determination rewarded! It was a truly remarkable experience, something I've never seen on stage before, and one that will not soon be forgotten.

The play opens on 79-year-old Alexandra (Melissa Hart), who has barricaded herself in her Brooklyn home, armed with home-made explosives. Her children are trying to remove her from her home and put her in a nursing home, so she’s refusing to let anyone inside. Her long absent youngest son Chris (Paul de Cordova) climbs a tree and into her window in the hopes of talking her down. What follows is an intense and revelatory conversation between these two people, both at a crossroads in their lives and unsure of what’s going to happen next. What Alexandra is really trying to barricade out of her life is age – the loss of herself. Chris is the one of her three children that is most like her, an artist and a free spirit, which is how she raised him. He gives her what she needs – someone to listen to her and acknowledge her fears. Chris has recently experienced a life-changing event of his own, which is why he’s decided to come home, for a chance to “do the right thing.” As they talk about their shared past, and the uncertainty of the future, they come to a bit of an understanding, although nothing is resolved for certain. It’s a clear and precise depiction of one moment in these two people’s lives, lives that existed before this moment and will continue to exist after.*

Paul de Cordova and Melissa Hart (photo credit: Old Log Theatre)

Melissa Hart is veteran Broadway and regional theater actor - she played Sally Bowles during the original run of Cabaret and received a 1970 Tony nomination for the musical Georgy - and lucky for us, she now calls Minnesota home.  I first saw her in a return to Cabaret, this time as Fraulein Schneider in Frank Theater's delectably gritty production on the Showboat four years ago, and have seen her many times since on various stages around town including Illusion and the Guthrie. Melissa as Alexandra and Paul de Cordova as her son Chris are a dream team to bring this talky two-person play to life. This play demands great listening and presence from both actors as each delivers long monologues, along with overlapping dialogue written in the way people actually talk, and Melissa's and Paul's individual and combined performances are one of the best examples of that I've ever seen at the theater.

Alexandra is continually losing parts of herself, as happens with aging, from bodily functions to words. On opening night, Melissa Hart lost her words, and read from a script for the last half of the show. But she never lost the character, and if anything, it made her performance that much more real and poignant. And Paul was right there with her the whole time, listening and responding and helping her through. The character of Alexandra is flustered and struggles for words and memories, yet has moments of crisp clarity about her life and situation. It was indescribably moving to watch Melissa truly live Alexandra's struggles and triumphs for that brief moment in time. It was the truest example of one of the most poignant lines in the play, "there's beauty and art in the coming apart." Melissa took what she was experiencing in the moment and made it serve the character and the play, that's what a pro does. I'm certain that if you go see this play (and you should), you will see a much smoother performance, but no more beautiful than the one I saw.

An important part of this play is the setting - Alexandra's beloved brownstone in Brooklyn, which is beautifully and realistically represented on the Old Log stage. While the leaves outside the Old Log are not yet changing, I attended the show on a perfect fall day and it seemed that the picturesque setting outside the theater had been brought inside. A huge tree with autumn-tinted leaves is seen behind the large window, and is sturdy enough for Chris to climb on. Tree branches and leaves also frame the stage, which contains a cluttered, homey, lived in apartment with furniture stacked against the door and dozens of Molotov cocktails surrounding the perimeter (scenic and lighting design by Erik Paulson).

Having now seen The Velocity of Autumn twice, at different theaters and with different casts, I'm even more convinced what a beautiful and timely play this is. As the Baby Boomer generation ages, we all have Alexandras in our lives, an aging and beloved parent or aunt who seems to be on the verge of not being able to take care of him or herself. It's a difficult thing to navigate and this play provides one example of one family going through it, without providing any simple answers, because there are none. As medical advances allow us to live longer and longer, we all have to deal with our own aging and that of our loved ones, and hopefully we do so with grace, kindness, and acceptance.

The Velocity of Autumn continues through October 24 and it's well worth the drive out to Excelsior to see this smart, funny, poignant, relevant, beautifully written and acted play.


*Once again, I plagiarized myself by copying the description of the play from what I wrote last year.